In this capacity, Mr. Harpel is detailed to STVHCS where he provides leadership responsibility for Health Administration Service, Prosthetics, Logistics, Fiscal Service, Contracting and Human Resources Management Service.  He also provides administrative oversight of the new San Antonio Northwest Health Care Center and Kerrville Campus Administrators.

Prior to his detail, Mr. Harpel serves as the Associate Director for the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System (VAVCBHCS) in Harlingen.  Mr. Harpel, a U.S. Navy Veteran, who served in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Operation Deny Flight Bosnia aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).  Upon completing his military service in 1995, he relocated to San Antonio where he worked at the Defense Finance Accounting Services (DFAS).  In 1999, he relocated to Austin and joined the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Financial Services Center (FSC), Intergovernmental Accounting Department as an accounting technician.

In 2005, he joined the STVHCS, Engineering Service where he worked as accounting technician to  assist with managing facility and construction costs.  In 2008, he was selected as the Administrative Officer for Engineering Service.  In 2011, he served as Administrative Officer for the Associate Director for Patient Care Services (Nurse Executive) where he assisted with the implementation of the VA Initiative for Staffing Methodology.  In 2013, he served as the Administrative Officer for Geriatrics & Extended Care (GEC) providing support in the implementation of the first Hospital in Home (HIH) Program within the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 17. 

Mr. Harpel received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio.  He is also a graduate of the VISN 17 Leadership Development Institute (LDI).